Life with my Cairn Terrier

Hot Cars lead to overheated dogs

Every year dogs die of heat stroke from being locked in cars while their owners “run inside” of a store. Many people think it’s OK to leave a dog in a car if the windows are rolled down or they are parked in the shade — but that’s a misconception that could be fatal!

“Automobile temperatures can very quickly rise to dangerous levels; the average temperature increase in a parked car is 40 degrees, and the majority of this increase occurs in the first 15 to 30 minutes,” says Dr. Louise Murray, Vice President of ASPCA Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital. When it’s 80 degrees outside, your car will be a staggering 114 degrees after 30 minutes! Worse still, dogs can’t cool themselves down as easily as people, and once they overheat, they can suffer extensive organ damage or die.

HOT WEATHER TRAVELING TIPS

• Get a veterinary checkup before traveling and make sure
you have the necessary vaccination certificates for the area
you will be visiting, as well as flea and tick treatments.
• Carry a gallon thermos of cold water or bring along a two-
liter plastic bottle of water you froze the night before.
• Exercise your pet during the coolest parts of the day (dawn
and dusk), and never immediately following a meal.
• Hot asphalt and tar can burn sensitive paw pads. Walk your
pet on grass or dirt when possible.
• Provide shade when your pet is outside on a hot day.